To really understand a language, and to be able to communicate in it, you need to understand not only what a word means, but how it is used. For example, in Spanish, the words “saber” and “conocer” both generally mean “to know.” So why two words for the same concept?

While saber and conocer both refer to knowledge, they refer to different types of knowledge. The language is developed this way to allow people to talk specifically about different kinds of knowing – the same way, for example, in English, one might say “I know,” “I understand,” or “I get it.” These phrases all mean similar things but are used in different contexts and carry different shades of meanings to people who are equipped to understand them.read more